Carrion Crow
Corvus corone
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All black, all business, and usually on its own — the crow that is not a rook.
A wholly black crow with a heavy, slightly curved bill that is feathered right to the base, a flat crown and a neat, tight-trousered look. The old rule holds well: a crow on its own is usually a carrion crow, a crowd of crows is usually rooks. They are common across Dumfries in every habitat from town rooftops to the Solway shore, and unlike rooks they nest as isolated pairs.
Behaviour
Carrion crows are opportunists and problem-solvers, taking carrion, eggs, chicks, grain, shellfish and refuse, and are well known for dropping hard-shelled prey onto roads and rocks to break it open. Pairs hold a territory year-round and will mob buzzards and other raptors that cross it. Where their range meets the hooded crow's further north, the two interbreed freely.
When to see it
Quick facts
- Family
- Crows (Corvidae)
- Size
- 45–47 cm
- UK status
- Green-listed
Photo by Alexis Lours, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons